Campaign for BC Children
We've Run Out Of Space.
Much has changed since BC Children's Hospital was designed in the 1970s and, while we’ve maintained leadership in research and the delivery of care, our hospital building has been unable to keep pace. We've outgrown it in every imaginable way.
What's the solution? We need more space.
Here's why we need a new BC Children's Hospital:
Today’s patient is different: The current hospital was not designed to manage the needs of children with chronic and complex conditions such as cancer and cystic fibrosis. Today, these children can survive into adulthood. In the near future, children with chronic conditions will occupy the majority of beds in BC Children's, and our current hospital building is not equipped to support this new generation of survivors.
Technology enhances patient care: Without a new facility, BC Children's Hospital will be unable to take full advantage of the many benefits offered by medical technology. New technologies – from high-definition imaging devices to surgical robots – require space and infrastructure that we simply don’t have today.
We are operating beyond capacity: The current hospital has been operating beyond its designed capacity since it opened. Patient rooms are too small to accommodate families and many lack bathrooms. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, in which BC’s critically ill children receive care, is primarily an open ward, which does not provide for privacy, infection control, or permit the accommodation of family members. And that’s just one example.
Families have to be part of the healing team: The involvement of parents and other family members in a child’s care has a positive impact on healing. Sadly, the current hospital lacks facilities for families, such as single-patient rooms, in-room washrooms, parent beds, and laundry and cooking facilities.
We compete globally for staff: Pediatric subspecialists spend many years honing their skills. They want to work in an environment that allows them to shine. Recruiting and retaining highly trained medical staff is particularly challenging when the workplace is an aging facility in an expensive city. A new facility will make recruitment and retention easier.
Only our building is holding us back. Help us build a new BC Children’s Hospital. Please give.
Campaign Progress
Stay up-to-date on the planning and execution of the new hospital. View the Official Site Redevelopment Page, hosted by Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), and dedicated to the Redevelopment Project.
View the conceptual fly-through of the new BC Children's Hospital.
